PAS rep ‘ignorant’ of DAP’s stand on Zahid’s case, says Ramkarpal

 The DAP MP points out the instances his party had urged the AGC to explain the Umno president's DNAA on his Yayasan Akalbudi charges.

Ramkarpal Singh said DAP will continue to ask questions about the DNAA granted to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi ‘as it clearly makes no sense’.

PETALING JAYA:

DAP MP Ramkarpal Singh has hit out at a PAS assemblyman from Kedah for questioning the timing of DAP urging the attorney-general to review the 47 charges faced by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Pengkalan Kundor assemblyman Mardhiyyah Johari said yesterday the issue was not raised when DAP and its allies in Pakatan Harapan needed Umno’s support to form the federal government after the 2022 general election.

Ramkarpal, who is the Bukit Gelugor MP, said Mardhiyyah “is clearly erroneous and ignorant of DAP’s stand on the matter”.

He said that if she had checked the facts, it would have become clear that DAP had raised serious concerns over the matter immediately after the High Court granted Zahid a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) on Sept 4, 2023, following the prosecution’s application.

He pointed out that DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook issued a statement the very next day, calling for the attorney-general to explain his decision.

“Loke had then said that DAP will always uphold the principle of separation of powers between judicial, executive and legislative branches and ensure there is no executive intervention in any court case, before pointing out that the issue was of public interest,” he said.

Ramkarpal, who is DAP’s legal bureau chairman, said the party had also urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers to explain why it had decided to take no further action against Zahid, as stated in its statement dated Jan 7 this year.

He also said that on Jan 8, he asked the AGC why it had suddenly taken the view that the High Court’s prima facie findings against Zahid did not carry weight, particularly when those findings were based on evidence presented in court by the prosecution itself.

Ramkarpal said the party will continue asking questions about the attorney-general’s decision in Zahid’s case “as it clearly makes no sense”, especially since the High Court had made prima facie findings against him.

“The question that arises instead is whether PAS will do the same or refrain from doing so, now that Umno and PAS seem to enjoy a cosy relationship with each other,” he said.

On Thursday, Jelutong MP RSN Rayer urged the attorney-general to review Zahid’s case, with DAP Youth backing the call the following day.

Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister, was granted a DNAA on 47 charges involving corruption, money laundering and criminal breach of trust in the Yayasan Akalbudi case.

The case had reached the defence stage, with Zahid and 14 other defence witnesses having testified when the prosecution applied for a conditional discharge. - FMT